Coming in 2010: some rockin’ pizza

Red Zeppelin, an original, locally-owned pizzeria is scheduled to open in March on Perkins Road near the Southdowns Village Shopping Center, says owner Raymond VanMerrienboer. The restaurant will offer casual dinning and a menu that includes pizza, calzones, lasagna, wings, pita and hummus, and a variety of take-and-bake pizzas. “I moved to Baton Rouge two years ago, and with experience in the restaurant industry, I wanted to look at what my neighborhood needed and bring my own concept,” says VanMerrienboer, a New Orleans native and former Smoothie King franchisee. The pizzeria’s name is inspired by legendary rock band Led Zeppelin, and VanMerrienboer says the restaurant will have a fun, young energy with televisions, concert posters and eclectic music on the stereo. Red Zeppelin also will offer outdoor seating and a drive-thru.